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1910 Flowers Playhouse

About the BUILDING

In 1910, Joseph Hampton Flowers had two granddaughters who were cousins. He built a playhouse for each of them, a matched pair. This one went to Claire Fllewellyn Flowers, whose photograph is in the playhouse. Through the twentieth century, the playhouse was moved whenever one set of Flowers children became too old and another generation was born. Four generations of Flowers children have played in the playhouse. This playhouse was donated to the Historical Society by Claire Varnedoe Thomas, Claire Fllewellyn Flowers Varnedoe’s daughter.

About the TOUR

The building contains more than thirty-five exhibits about the history of Thomas County, as well as the document, photo, and three-dimensional archives that provide the material evidence of what happened in Thomas County’s past.

A guided tour of the Museum grounds begins with a twenty-minute video documentary of Thomas County’s history, with an emphasis on the Victorian-era hotels and the dozens of plantations scattered around Thomas County.

Your docent will then walk you through the 1870 Rufus Smith log house, which was moved to Museum grounds in 1974, and provides a setting to share the story of both the Smith family and yeoman farmers of the period.

From there, you will walk to the 1877 Emily Joyner house, and hear the story of both the Civil War widow who first lived there, and the Flowers’ family nanny, Matilda Calloway, who lived there during the first half of the twentieth century. After the Joyner house, you will visit the 1896 Oliver Ewart bowling alley, built to entertain the winter resident who owned the Museum’s property from 1893-1900.

Following the bowling alley, you will go to the 1940 Roberts’ Garage, which currently houses two Model T cars and two Victorian-era carriages. After the garage, you will return to the Flowers-Roberts House for a self-guided tour of the Museum’s many exhibits, including the timeline-style exhibits in the large Davis Wing addition at the rear of the house.

Schedule Your Guided Tour

Use the contact form to schedule your guided tour today. *Completing this form does not guarantee a reservation slot. After submitting the form someone from our office will contact you and finalize your reservation.